Sunday
Examining the Internets Top Blogs
An interesting analysis from SEOmoz about the top blogs on the internet and where opportunity still exists. You can read it here.
Tuesday
Yelp Takes the Internet Local and Fills a Demand
Maybe you've heard of Yelp. Maybe you haven't. I love the site and think it's going to be an internet hit within the next year or so.
So far Yelp has about 9 million users and the community is growing everyday. You can literally review everything in almost any US city from restaurants to real estate. It's one of the more useful web 2.0 sites out there.
Many web insiders have been saying target local search. Yelp listened and is reaping the rewards of doing so. There's a huge demand for information about local businesses. Though, not just any information is in demand people want to know where the best restaurants are in their neighborhood or what service can they trust when they need them (such as auto mechanics) Yelp takes this concept takes it out of the hands of the business owners, media and restaurant reviewers and puts it in the hands of the people.
Yelp is a good way to cut through a paid endorsements on a website, vague restaurant reviews or a TV news segment that might be a little wary about saying too many negative (or any) things about a business fearing they might be sued by the owner.
Yelper's tells it like it is. Though, some small business owners aren't as enthusiastic about the idea of Yelp. As one business owner comments on the Blog of Sarah Lacy's blog, Valley Girl,
Is Yelp evil though? Are most of it's users party kids who taking out angst online at businesses or even people who work at these businesses they don't like?
Not really.
Though, there are issues about the legitimacy of ratings about a business based on personal taste (especially for restaurants), there's a wide spectrum of Yelper's. In general the site is pretty trustworthy and on target. There's also moderators that remove reviews that seem unnecessarily harsh. You can also get a sense of someone having a vendetta if a business has many reviews and gets high marks with (almost) everyone.
This is one of the interactive aspects I like about some web 2.0 companies such as Yelp. This site provides instant feedback for any offline business. Some restaurant's are even putting "Approved by Yelp" stickers on their windows similar to the "Zagats Rated" signs and stickers.
Could Yelp be a replacement for Zagats guidebooks for restaurateurs? We'll have to wait and see right now it's a great informative website that is gaining influence and authority. Yelp understands everyone truly is a critic.
And no I don't I'm not affiliated with Yelp nor do I work for them but I wish I did :)
More next time.
So far Yelp has about 9 million users and the community is growing everyday. You can literally review everything in almost any US city from restaurants to real estate. It's one of the more useful web 2.0 sites out there.
Many web insiders have been saying target local search. Yelp listened and is reaping the rewards of doing so. There's a huge demand for information about local businesses. Though, not just any information is in demand people want to know where the best restaurants are in their neighborhood or what service can they trust when they need them (such as auto mechanics) Yelp takes this concept takes it out of the hands of the business owners, media and restaurant reviewers and puts it in the hands of the people.
Yelp is a good way to cut through a paid endorsements on a website, vague restaurant reviews or a TV news segment that might be a little wary about saying too many negative (or any) things about a business fearing they might be sued by the owner.
Yelper's tells it like it is. Though, some small business owners aren't as enthusiastic about the idea of Yelp. As one business owner comments on the Blog of Sarah Lacy's blog, Valley Girl,
As a small business owner I dread the idea of Yelp becoming a substitute for the suggestion box. The population of Yelp users seems to be party kids and have no right influencing anyone other than maybe themselves. Yelp is evil.
Is Yelp evil though? Are most of it's users party kids who taking out angst online at businesses or even people who work at these businesses they don't like?
Not really.
Though, there are issues about the legitimacy of ratings about a business based on personal taste (especially for restaurants), there's a wide spectrum of Yelper's. In general the site is pretty trustworthy and on target. There's also moderators that remove reviews that seem unnecessarily harsh. You can also get a sense of someone having a vendetta if a business has many reviews and gets high marks with (almost) everyone.
This is one of the interactive aspects I like about some web 2.0 companies such as Yelp. This site provides instant feedback for any offline business. Some restaurant's are even putting "Approved by Yelp" stickers on their windows similar to the "Zagats Rated" signs and stickers.
Could Yelp be a replacement for Zagats guidebooks for restaurateurs? We'll have to wait and see right now it's a great informative website that is gaining influence and authority. Yelp understands everyone truly is a critic.
And no I don't I'm not affiliated with Yelp nor do I work for them but I wish I did :)
More next time.
Monday
Why Zappos.com Pays Trainee's to Leave
You might have heard of the online shoe retailer Zappos, maybe you haven't. Zappos has been selling shoes online since 1999- and have weathered the dot com bubble well. Very well. Zappos has already done around $800 million in profits but that isn't the company’s main goal.
The main goal of the company is create and foster a business environment that allows for growth of its employees. Zappo's trainee's a put through a 4 week training course and learn about every aspect of the business and then when it is all over they are offered $1,000 (sometimes $2,000) to walk away if it isn't right for them or they're just in it for the money. That's not to say they aren't paid, employees are paid more the CEO.
It's an ingenious way of hiring people who are devoted to the company and actually want to work for your company, rather than just wanting to work for a company. It's also incredibly important they hire the right people because Zappos houses their call center right in their headquarters outside of Las Vegas. You won't be calling a number in Bombay when you need customer support and outsourcing isn't in the business model.
Tony Hsieh CEO of the company bases his success of Zappos on having a great product and having great customer service. What a concept for most businesses, treating customers well. Not only does Zappos treat their customers as assets they also listen to the recommendations from their customers of what they want to be offered. Zappos Airlines? Sure maybe down the road. Hsieh is taking that idea into consideration for the future.
Also, Zappos refers customers to competitors if they don't have something in stock. A notion that would make old school businessmen scorn at the idea. Nonetheless this has done very well for customer service as the customers see Zappos as a helpful guide to buying shoes instead of a greedy corporation that just focuses on profit. If only more businesses pointed helped their customers like this than maybe they would have more business.
The main goal of the company is create and foster a business environment that allows for growth of its employees. Zappo's trainee's a put through a 4 week training course and learn about every aspect of the business and then when it is all over they are offered $1,000 (sometimes $2,000) to walk away if it isn't right for them or they're just in it for the money. That's not to say they aren't paid, employees are paid more the CEO.
It's an ingenious way of hiring people who are devoted to the company and actually want to work for your company, rather than just wanting to work for a company. It's also incredibly important they hire the right people because Zappos houses their call center right in their headquarters outside of Las Vegas. You won't be calling a number in Bombay when you need customer support and outsourcing isn't in the business model.
Tony Hsieh CEO of the company bases his success of Zappos on having a great product and having great customer service. What a concept for most businesses, treating customers well. Not only does Zappos treat their customers as assets they also listen to the recommendations from their customers of what they want to be offered. Zappos Airlines? Sure maybe down the road. Hsieh is taking that idea into consideration for the future.
Also, Zappos refers customers to competitors if they don't have something in stock. A notion that would make old school businessmen scorn at the idea. Nonetheless this has done very well for customer service as the customers see Zappos as a helpful guide to buying shoes instead of a greedy corporation that just focuses on profit. If only more businesses pointed helped their customers like this than maybe they would have more business.
Tuesday
Top 30 Website Run by People Under 30
The web has allowed entrepreneurs to sell their products and offer their services to anyone all over the world and has flattened the online playing field- regardless of age.
Here's a list of the top 30 websites run by individuals under 30. Inspiring (hopefully) to the webeneurs over thirty.
Here's a list of the top 30 websites run by individuals under 30. Inspiring (hopefully) to the webeneurs over thirty.
Thursday
Freelance Writer Success Story
I came across a great story in Inc Magazine about how a struggling freelance writer went from trying to break into journalism to selling her own online business for $23 million- with a twist. You can read the story of Mediabistro founder Laurel Touby here.
Saturday
Sliced Bread and Other Marketing Insights
After a long break I'm back with another Seth Godin video.
Monday
11 Tips to Get Your Blog Noticed
11 Tips from the current issue of Fast Company to get the word out about your blog and how to get others to spread the word.
Friday
7 PLR Articles for $5 Each
I'm having an ongoing sale of 7 PLR articles for $7 each. You can also purchase the entire pack at a reduced price of $25.
Save time and money with your article marketing by purchasing PLR articles that are ready to go. Use them for article marketing purposes or resell them. (Rights listed at the bottom of page) The articles are between 300-600 words.
Here are the titles of the articles for sale:
-How to Find Wholesale Items for Ebay
-Buying a Car Online
-Online Dating - 3 Tips to Online Dating Success
-Apartment Hunting- How to Find an Inexpensive Apartment
-Using Viral Videos to Market Products
-How to Recover a Lost Word Document
-How to Get Rid of Acne and Pimples
The articles come with a bonus of series of mp3 audios on what really works in internet marketing and a series of videos that can really help you grow your business this year.
Right and Terms of Use
The PLR Rights if purchased include:
[YES] Can be packaged with other products
[YES] Can be sold at any price you wish
[YES] Can be offered as a bonus with other products
[YES] Can be added to paid membership sites
[YES] Can be offered through auction sites
[YES] Can be edited completely and your name put on it
[YES] Can sell Resale Rights to Your Edited Copy
[YES] Can sell Master Resale Rights to Your Edited Copy
[YES] Can be sold via auction sites - Your Edited Copy
[YES] Can be added to an e-course or autoresponder as content
[YES] Can be used as web content
[NO] Can sell Private Label Rights (including PLR Membership Sites)
[NO] Can sell Resale Rights to the PLR Source
[NO] Can sell Master Resale Rights to the PLR Source
[NO] Can be offered through auction sites (PLR Source)
[NO] Can be given away
Articles will be delivered in RTF format (Wordpad) to your email.
Save time and money with your article marketing by purchasing PLR articles that are ready to go. Use them for article marketing purposes or resell them. (Rights listed at the bottom of page) The articles are between 300-600 words.
Here are the titles of the articles for sale:
-How to Find Wholesale Items for Ebay
-Buying a Car Online
-Online Dating - 3 Tips to Online Dating Success
-Apartment Hunting- How to Find an Inexpensive Apartment
-Using Viral Videos to Market Products
-How to Recover a Lost Word Document
-How to Get Rid of Acne and Pimples
The articles come with a bonus of series of mp3 audios on what really works in internet marketing and a series of videos that can really help you grow your business this year.
Right and Terms of Use
The PLR Rights if purchased include:
[YES] Can be packaged with other products
[YES] Can be sold at any price you wish
[YES] Can be offered as a bonus with other products
[YES] Can be added to paid membership sites
[YES] Can be offered through auction sites
[YES] Can be edited completely and your name put on it
[YES] Can sell Resale Rights to Your Edited Copy
[YES] Can sell Master Resale Rights to Your Edited Copy
[YES] Can be sold via auction sites - Your Edited Copy
[YES] Can be added to an e-course or autoresponder as content
[YES] Can be used as web content
[NO] Can sell Private Label Rights (including PLR Membership Sites)
[NO] Can sell Resale Rights to the PLR Source
[NO] Can sell Master Resale Rights to the PLR Source
[NO] Can be offered through auction sites (PLR Source)
[NO] Can be given away
Articles will be delivered in RTF format (Wordpad) to your email.
Monday
Online Video Marketing
Online video has exploded in popularity within the past couple of years. Internet users can use it to view just about any type of content imaginable. The combination of broadband internet and websites like YouTube make online video easily, accessible and popular for internet users.
Recent surveys indicate people in some countries are starting to watch more online video than T.V. Moviegoer attendance in US has gone though the rates of people watching online video have gone up and are increasing everyday.
This creates an opportunity for internet marketers in every niche because online video is an effective means of marketing. Why video is a very effective way of marketing is because it is more animated than static text on a page. Video comes to life with the push of a button, you can see the subject, you can hear and see the concepts they are talking about and is more engaging than reading text.
With this in mind using video and striving to create viral video should become a high priority for internet marketers. So, how can you make a successful viral video campaign? Here are three simple ways to increase the chances of having your video going viral.
1. Create good valuable content.
Content is still king whether it is streaming video or static text on a page. Good content that is valuable and improves the life of those within your target niche, even in the slightest way, will be appreciated and even shared. The better the quality the content in the video the more likely it will be viewed and shared.
2. Make your video short
You only have so much time to grab the viewers attention so make the most of it. Strive to make your videos no longer than 5 minutes long to increase the chances of it going viral. Make it short, memorable and connect with your target audience.
3. Keep it simple.
Some of the most clever viral videos have revolved around simple concepts. If you are in selling an ebook on dog training put up a videos of puppies. Or if your in the music niche put up a video of you giving a simple music lesson and embed your website URL in the video. (Don't forget to direct viewers to your site)
It's not that hard to make a video and upload it online and it doesn't have to be hard for a video to go viral within your niche. Don't try to create a viral video attempting to get everyone on the internet to view it and share it. Your can't appeal to everyone. Just create it for your niche or target audience. Create good content, make it short and keep it simple and you'll increase your chances of getting more people to view your video.
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